SINGAPORE – On September 28-29, 2021, Officials from the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), and the Department of State’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) partnered with Singapore Customs and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) to organize the 9th annual Joint Industry Outreach (JIO) seminar in Singapore. The event attracted over 900 virtual attendees, the largest in the history of the JIO, and achieved its objective of connecting government, industry, and academia representatives to share strategic trade control (STC) best practices and highlight updates to export control laws and regulations across the region. 

Senior officials from Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, as well as regional business leaders, provided presentations and participated in engaged panel discussions. In addition, the U.S. interagency contributed significantly to the event, with speakers and panelists from the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, the Department of Treasury, the U.S Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Key topics discussed throughout the seminar included the intersection of export controls and sanctions, controlling emerging technologies, cyber threats to export controlled data and the supply chain, intangible transfers of technology and intellectual property, export controls for academic and research environments, and tools for internal compliance planning.

During the keynote presentation for the event, Kevin Kurland, Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at BIS, noted:

“Partnership with industry is a critical element of an effective strategic trade control system. Working hand-in-hand, export control authorities and industry partners can prevent, detect, and deter violations that threaten international peace and stability.”

The United States has collaborated with the Government of Singapore for nearly 20 years to share best practices on effectively managing the flow of proliferation-sensitive goods and technologies. The U.S. Departments of Commerce, Energy, and State are committed to continuing this tradition and furthering progress on effective and efficient STC implementation in the future.